Privacy Policy

1. Data controller

The data controller for personal data collected through the Fuel24 website (fuel24.app) and Android app is the independent developer operating the service. For any data protection enquiry, please use the contact form.

2. Categories of data collected

2.1 Data collected automatically

• FCM token (Firebase Cloud Messaging): a unique device identifier generated by Google Firebase, required to send push notifications. Not linked to any personally identifiable information.
• Anonymous usage statistics: anonymous events about app feature usage (via Firebase Analytics).

2.2 Data provided or generated by the user

• Advertising preference: on first launch, the user chooses whether to receive personalised or non-personalised ads. This choice is stored locally via SharedPreferences (ads_personalized) and is not transmitted to external servers.
• Favourite stations: stored locally on the device via SharedPreferences and not transmitted to external servers.
• Price monitors: when a user enables notifications for a station, the following data is stored in Cloud Firestore (Google): station identifier, station GPS coordinates, fuel type, reference price, device FCM token.

2.3 Website data (fuel24.app)

• Technical access data: IP address (anonymised), browser type, operating system, pages visited, date and time of access — processed via Cloudflare and Google Analytics.
• Cookie consent: the user's cookie decision is stored in browser LocalStorage (cookiesAccepted). Not transmitted to external servers.
• Location (browser): only if the user explicitly grants location access. Used solely in RAM memory for nearby searches and never stored.

Not collected: name, surname, email address, phone number or any other personally identifiable data, unless voluntarily submitted via the contact form.

GPS location (app): the app uses precise device location (GPS) only during the active session. Location is never stored and is not transmitted to external servers in an identifiable form.

3. Purposes of processing and legal basis

Purpose	Legal basis	Retention period
Technical operation of the app	Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) UK GDPR)	Duration of session
Precise GPS location (nearby search)	Explicit user consent (Art. 6(1)(a) UK GDPR) — Android permission requested on first use	Not stored — processed in RAM only during the active session
Aggregated anonymous usage statistics (Firebase Analytics)	Legitimate interest + consent (Art. 6(1)(f)+(a) UK GDPR)	14 months
Website analytics (Google Analytics 4)	Explicit user consent (Art. 6(1)(a) UK GDPR) — cookie banner on site	14 months
Personalised advertising (AdMob – app only)	Explicit user consent (Art. 6(1)(a) UK GDPR) — granted during onboarding	Until app uninstall or data deletion
Sending push notifications for price changes	Explicit user consent (Art. 6(1)(a) UK GDPR)	Until notification is disabled or app is uninstalled
Periodic price checks for notifications (Cloud Functions)	Legitimate interest in delivering the requested service	Automatically deleted when FCM token becomes invalid
EV charging point search (Electric mode)	Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) UK GDPR)	No data stored — coordinates only transmitted via proxy and not retained
Responding to contact form enquiries	Consent or pre-contractual measures	Required period + 12 months

4. Consent at first launch (onboarding)

On first launch of the app, an onboarding wizard guides the user through the following steps:

1. App introduction
2. Overview of key features (fuel prices, EV charging, favourites, notifications)
3. GPS location permission request
4. Push notification permission request
5. Advertising personalisation choice

All permissions are optional and can be changed at any time in Android settings.

5. Third-party services used

5.1 Google Firebase (Analytics, Cloud Firestore, Cloud Messaging, Cloud Functions)

We use Google Firebase services for analytics, database, push notifications and serverless functions. Price monitoring data is stored in Cloud Firestore in the Europe (eur3) region. More info: firebase.google.com/support/privacy.

5.2 Google AdMob

The app uses Google AdMob for advertising (banners, interstitials, App Open). AdMob may collect anonymous data for ad personalisation only if the user consented during onboarding; otherwise, non-personalised ads are shown. More info: policies.google.com/privacy.

5.3 Google Analytics 4 (website only)

The website uses Google Analytics 4 with anonymised IP addresses and a 14-month data retention period. Google Analytics is only activated after explicit cookie consent. Users can withdraw consent at any time by clearing browser LocalStorage or modifying browser settings. More info: policies.google.com/privacy.

5.4 UK Government fuel price data

Petrol prices are retrieved from the UK Government's fuel price data service (fuel-finder.service.gov.uk). No personal data is transmitted to this source. The data is publicly available and freely usable.

5.5 OpenStreetMap

Maps are provided by OpenStreetMap. Map tile requests are made directly to OpenStreetMap servers. No personally identifiable data is transmitted.

5.6 OpenChargeMap

The Electric mode fetches charging point data via the OpenChargeMap (ocm.io) API. Requests are routed through the service's Cloudflare proxy so the user's IP address is not transmitted directly to OpenChargeMap. No personally identifiable data is sent. More info: OpenChargeMap privacy policy.

5.7 Cloudflare

The website is hosted and protected by Cloudflare, which may process IP addresses and traffic data for security and performance purposes. More info: Cloudflare privacy policy.

6. International data transfers

Data stored in Cloud Firestore is located in the Europe (eur3 – Frankfurt/Amsterdam) region and is not transferred outside the UK/EU. Some Firebase and Google Analytics data may be processed by Google on servers in the United States, on the basis of Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the relevant authorities. OpenChargeMap requests are routed through a proxy and contain no personally identifiable data.

7. Your rights

Under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights:

• Right of access to your stored data
• Right to rectification or erasure
• Right to restriction of processing
• Right to object to processing
• Right to data portability (where applicable)
• Right to withdraw consent (by disabling notifications in the app, changing your advertising preference, or uninstalling the app)
• Right to lodge a complaint with the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office — ico.org.uk)

To exercise your rights or request deletion of your monitoring data, please use the contact form.

8. Data retention and deletion

• Advertising preference: stored locally. Deleted when the app is uninstalled or app data is cleared in Android settings.
• Favourites: stored locally only. Deleted when the app is uninstalled.
• Price notification monitors: stored in Cloud Firestore. Deleted when the notification is disabled, the favourite is removed, or automatically when the FCM token becomes invalid.
• GPS location: never stored. Used in RAM only during the session for nearby searches.
• EV charging data: not stored locally or on external servers.
• Analytics data (Google Analytics): retained for a maximum of 14 months — only if cookie consent was granted.
• Cookie consent (website): stored in browser LocalStorage. Deleted by clearing browser data.

9. Changes to this privacy policy

We reserve the right to update this privacy policy at any time. Changes will be published on this page with a new date.

10. Contact and complaints

For any data protection enquiry, please use the contact form. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.